In everyday life, some people prefer rice, while others prefer wheat. Why is there such a difference in diet? Which one is better, rice or wheat? Which is better for weight loss? And how can we eat them healthily? Let’s have a showdown between rice and wheat and see who’s the winner.
Rice or wheat, which one makes you gain weight more easily?
Let’s start with the answer: Eating wheat is more likely to make you gain weight!
The staple food is the main source of daily calorie intake, so those who are trying to control their weight, they are especially concerned about whether eating rice or wheat makes them gain weight more easily.
So, which one actually makes you gain weight more easily? There are actually relevant studies on this topic, and considering the variety of foods that can be made with rice and wheat, it turns out that eating refined wheat is more likely to make you gain weight.
First of all, there are just too many yummy staple foods, such as pizzas, bagels, bread, pasta, noodles, crackers, cookies, bakery, etc. that are hard to resist. In terms of calories, most staple foods contain more calories than rice. For example, one cup of cooked white pasta made from refined wheat contains around 220 calories, while one cup of cooked brown rice contains around 216 calories. If you eat wheat for every meal without controlling your intake, it will be difficult not to gain weight.
Furthermore, there have been many studies that show that replacing wheat with rice at the same frequency and amount can reduce the risk of excess body fat. Compared with people who love eating wheat foods, people who love eating rice have lower belly fat.
If you really love eating wheat and also want to reduce calorie intake and control weight, it is recommended to choose staple foods made from whole grains as a priority.
In addition, portion control is also important. Generally, one to one and a half fist-sized portions of staple food per meal are sufficient for most people.
Rice and wheat, which one is more nutritious?
First of all, the answer is: they are about the same in terms of nutrition!
When it comes to the nutritional comparison of rice and wheat, their main task is to provide carbohydrates and calories, and in this regard, they are equally good and not much different from each other.
In terms of protein content, flour does contain slightly more protein than rice, but the quality of the protein in both is not as easily absorbed and utilized by the body as meat, eggs, and dairy.
As for dietary fiber content, the insoluble dietary fiber in wheat is originally 18 times that of rice, but it greatly decreases after being processed into wheat flour, with only about 0.8 grams/100 grams left, which is about the same as the fiber content in rice.
So, white flour has no advantage in terms of dietary fiber.
As for other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, the differences in their contents are not significant.
Therefore, overall, there is no need to worry about whether rice or white flour is more nutritious.
If you care about the nutrition of your staple food, it is recommended to have a mix of coarse and fine grains and increase the intake of whole grains.
For example, for those who love rice, can replace 1/3 of the rice with mixed grains and beans, and make oatmeal rice, black rice, barley rice, quinoa rice, brown rice, black bean rice, red bean rice, etc., which are all good choices.
For those who love staple foods, they can replace some of the wheat flour with mixed grain flour and make buckwheat buns, cornmeal buns, millet buns, etc.
Rice and flour, which one is more likely to raise blood sugar?
Let’s start with the answer: They’re about the same!
Diabetics are quite concerned about eating staple foods.
When it comes to raising blood sugar, it depends on the glycemic index (GI). The higher the GI value, the greater the postprandial blood sugar response caused by the consumption, especially for high GI foods with a GI value greater than 70. Both polished rice and white flour are high-GI foods. The GI value of white rice is as high as 82, and the GI value of white steamed buns is 85. The carbohydrate content of the two is almost the same, so their ability to raise blood sugar can be said to be about the same. Eating staple foods is not conducive to blood sugar control.
Although diabetics need to control their blood sugar, they should not avoid eating staple foods for the sake of controlling blood sugar. It is recommended to do the following four points:
Mix coarse and fine grains
Don’t eat too refined, and increase the intake of whole grains. For example, replace white steamed buns with buckwheat flour steamed buns, and the GI value can be reduced from 85 to 67, from a high GI food to a medium GI food. For example, replace white rice with whole oatmeal rice, and the GI value can be reduced from 82 to 42, directly transforming from a high GI staple food to a low GI staple food.
Such changes are not only very effective for controlling blood sugar but also more helpful for controlling food intake.
Don’t overcook the food
When cooking rice, the larger the ratio of water to rice, the longer the soaking time, and the greater the steaming and cooking pressure, the higher the GI value of the rice.
When cooking porridge, the longer the cooking time, and the softer the porridge, the easier it is to digest and absorb, and the higher the GI value.
Pay attention to food matching
In one meal, there should not only be staple foods, but also vegetables and protein foods. A mixed diet is more conducive to controlling postprandial blood sugar.
For example, steamed buns + celery scrambled eggs (low GI), pancakes + egg fried mushrooms (low GI), rice + celery stir-fried pork (medium GI), rice + garlic chives scrambled eggs (medium GI), celery pork buns (low GI).
Pay attention to the eating order
You can first eat vegetables and protein foods, then eat staple foods, and finally drink soup; or first drink soup, then eat vegetables and protein foods, and finally eat staple foods. The soup should be light, low in oil and salt, and preferably not thickened with starch.